On Tuesday, over 560 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, also known as bhang, were set ablaze in Makindu, Makueni County.

Top Principal Magistrate, J.B. Ireri of the Makindu Law Courts, presided over the occurrence, attended by top county security personnel and investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Anti-narcotics Unit.

PHOTO | COURTESY seized bhang

In April of last year, police in Makindu seized 6,915 sticks of bhang worth almost one million shillings.

Authorities reported that the shipment of 6,915 sticks was being transported in a Nissan matatu, wrapped in eight gunny sacks with 696 sticks totalling 5,568. Police in Makindu burnt fire cannabis worth Ksh.1.8 million in January 2020.

The 1,870 bhang sticks were captured in 2019 in Kibwezi Town, along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, on their route to Mombasa from an unknown place.

Marijuana is widely used in Kenya, despite the existing legal restriction against using or growing it.

Roots party leader wajakoya and other leaders have been championing the legalization of the product in the country. However, that has been met with a lot of resistance from religious leaders and parents who believe the substance harms kids.

PHOTO | COURTESY  seized bhang

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act makes possession and use illegal, as well as trafficking, being discovered in a room where people use drugs, owning a space where people create or use drugs, and being caught with drug-related accessories.

Uganda is the only country in East Africa that has legalized the large-scale growth of cannabis for commercial purposes. However, the recreational use of the product is still illegal in the country.

Only 19 of the 50 states in the United States have legalized cannabis for recreational use. However, marijuana use and possession remain unlawful under federal law. As a result, one can only possess cannabis in the states where it is legal.